Easel.



And/mu A. SGHICKERLING.

EASEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1909.

Patented June 15,1909.

IVE/W01? Ky WET-35m 73W @M ALFRED SOHIGKERLING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EASEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Application filed January 12, 1909. Serial No. 471,895.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALFRED Sonionnn- LING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and 3t: c of New York, have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements in Easels, of which the folloi'aing is specification.

My invei ion relates to an improvement in cascls, ad aptcd for use in displa' jring pictures or advertisements posted or cemented thereto, or articles to be hung thereon or otherwise secured thereto, the invention being particu larly applicable to such as are made of pasteboard or other flexiole material, the object of the same being to construct an easel which shall be cheap to manufacture, which. when not in use may be folded or packed flat for storage or transportation, and which when opened, will automatically lock and remain in said open adjustment until purposely folded or closed.

With these and other ends in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View of the rear side of the easel in perspective. Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of the detached support or standard and partially folded. Fig. 3 is a face View of the standard showing the lines upon which the same is to be out or scored. Fig.4 isaview of the opposite or rear side of the standard. Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction as indicated by the arrow. Fig. 6 is a View showing the position of the locking device when the support or standard is folded flat against the card or frame.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the easel consists of but two parts, namely, card or frame A to which a picture, advertisement or other article to be displayed, is secured or attached, and a support or standard B pasted or secured to the rear side of said frame A for retaining the latter in its upright position while in use.

The frame A may of course be formed from any desired material, such as pasteboard, sheet metal or wood, and of any desired size or dimensions. The support or standard pasted or cemented to the rear side of this frame A, is preferably made of pasteboard, cardboard or other flexible material, as it is necessary, as will be hereinafter understood, that the same be capable of bending or fold ing upon itself when the easel is opened for use, or closed for storage or transportation. This standard 13 is cut, punched, or otherwise stamped from a single piece of m atcrial, and preferably of the outline as illustrated in igs. 3 and 4, that is, with the straight edges 7, 8 and 9, the edge 7 extending from the upper to the lower end of the standard, that is, the full height of the same. The straight ed es 8 and 9 extend from the edge 7 to the dotted line 10, the latter indicating the line on which the standard is to be scored in order to permit of its folding or bending on that line, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, that portion of the standard bounded by the edges 7, 8, 9 and the line 10, and indicated by the letter C, with the exception of a small part hereinafter referred to, being pasted, cemented, or otherwise secured to the frame A. The edge 11 is preferably cut on a slant, the upper end being rounded and the lower edge or base 12 being also slightly slanted, in order that when the parts are in their open position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the fran'ie or card A will be held in a slanting or slightl' tilted position, this portion of the standard, that is, bounded by the lines 10, 11 and 12, and lettered C, forming the swinging or f )lding portion of the standard, and of substantially triangular shape.

In order to form the locking devices whereby to hold the standard in its open. adjustment, 1 cut out a portion of the material as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings, to form the hooks 13, 14, and the slot 15, thelatter in width being substantially equal to the thickness of the material from which the standard is formed, in order that when the parts are locked, the hook 14 may enter and be retained within said slot 15, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The material is also slitted on a circular line 16 and scored on the lines 17, 18, that portion of the material bounded by the lines 16, 17 and 18, and let tered D, being pasted, cemented, or otherwise secured to the back of the card or frame A, as illustrated in Fig. 1, that portion bounded by the lines 17, 16, and irregular outline of the hook 13 and slot 15, being lettered F and serving as will be hereinafter described, as a stop whereby to assist in locking the hooks 13 and 14 in engagement with each other. It will thus be understood that by attaching the portions C and D of the standard to the card or frame A on both sides of the folding line 10, said support or standard will be securely held in place and with less likelihood or danger of becoming detached therefrom, which is liable to occur in instances wherein the support or standard is pasted to the frame or card along one continuous line or edge. In the upper portion of the standard, 1 slit the material on the lines 19 and 20, and score it on the line 21, forming a tongue E, which is subsequently folded downwardly on said line 21 and pasted to the standard between the lines 16 and 21, the rounded end of the tongue being free.

When the easel is folded. for storage or transportation, the standard will lie flat against the rear face of the card or frame A, the locking parts occupying the positions as illustrated in Fig. 6. if new the standard be opened by pulling outwardly on the lower outer corner thereof, the end of the tongue E, lying back of the stop F, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and traveling with the portion C of the standard, and bearing on said stop, forces the same downwardly until when the hook 14 comes opposite the slot, said stop willbe forced down by said tongue until the hook enters said slot, the two hooks 13 and 14 thereupon engaging with each other, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, the tongue preventing their disengagement until the swinging or folding portion U is again moved backwardly or folded against the card or frame A. As this part or portion 0 is moved or folded backwardly, the hook 14 bearing on the un derside of the stop F, forces upwardly and backwardly said stop, the tongue E being also moved backwardly and against the card or frame A by reason of the fact that it itself is pasted or secured to the part C.

From the foregoing it will be understood that when the lower outer corner of the part O is opened outwardly, it will be automatically locked in its open adjustment, and when desired to fold the article, it is simply necessary to force said corner of the standard backwardly, whereupon the standard and locking parts will all lie flat, as indicated in Fig. 6.

it will be further understood that the easel consists of but two parts, namely, the frame and the standard, the latter, as well as its several locking parts or portions, all being stamped, out, or punched from a single piece of material, permitting it to be manufactured at an exceedingly small cost.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An easel having a frame and a support therefor, said support being formed of two stationary parts each of which is attached to the frame, each of said stationary parts having a foldable part projecting from it, one of said foldable parts forming a stop and being provided with a hook, and the other foldable part having a hook sha ed portion to co-act with the first-named 100k, and a tongue adapted to engage said stop to retain the hooks in position when the easel is in its open adjustment, substantially as described.

2. An easel comprising a frame and a support therefor, said support including two stationary parts each of which is secured to the frame, and two foldable parts one of which is connected to each of said stationary parts one of said foldable parts having a hook member and slot, and the other foldable parts having a hook member to co-act with the first-named hook member and to be contained within the slot thereof when the parts are in their open position, and a tongue formed on one of said foldable parts adapted to engage the other of said foldable parts when said parts are in their open adjustment to thereby hold the hooks in engagement with each other, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 11th, day of January, A. D.

ALFRED SOHICKERLING. Witnesses M. VAN NORTWIOK, PARKER COOK. 

